Rockwell
by dreaminghour
Summary: A possible story where Beckett's Homicide team co-ops with Narcotics. If you like it, let me know! I'll continue it after cleaning it up some.


There was no stop for coffee that morning, and while Alphabet city slept as Beckett drove through, the gulls were anxious for any forgotten scraps and making a ruckus behind the apartment buildings. The dead-end was filled with marked vehicles and as many rookie cops anxious to make good impressions as seasoned POs.

December in the early morning meant that steam rose from the running vehicles and the scattered paper cups, some streetlamps still flickering as they were confused by the pre-dawn light, Beckett loved the misty romance of it. It could have been a modern-day noir, perhaps with a decent amount of grit to compensate for the lack of reality.

"Beckett!" Espo launched away from one of the vans, two coffees in his hands. They strolled to the dumpster all the way in the back as he explained.

"We have a bit of politics on our hands now," he said, "the PO was undercover for Narcotics, and was dealing with a case they have, get this—with Fat Money." They now could see the two bodies laying down, shot point blank. Perlmutter was off to the side, comparing different angles and running back and forth with a Ballistics Detective. She sipped the coffee, and watched as someone else stenciled a chalk outline.

"That's not Fat Money, is it?" She pointed.

"Nah, that's our prima donna, Fat Money was supposed to be here, apparently he has a lab in the area."

"Who's the dealer, then?" She asked, and crouched down next to the other body.

"Keep your hands to yourself, Detective." Perlmutter warned.

"Apparently he ain't got the hots today, Beckett."

She ignored them both. "Do you have any ID on this man?"

"Oh yeah, the Midnights identified them both." He flipped open the pad, and found them. Mahoney is the undercover, and big guy over here is Suarez. He has some priors, mostly taken in by the Narcotics, and they won't say whether he was ever a CI."

"Looks like he could be." Beckett said and moved to stand next to Perlmutter.

"What you see here is set up very simply."

"They shot each other." Beckett says, smiling, Perlmutter stops short, and has to look at her.

"Funny. I see why they made you Supervisor. Your wit could cut bone." He sneers slightly, and points to the Undercover. "Neither of them shot, but Mahoney saw what was coming and made some sort of a decision a split-second before he was hit to either save himself or them both. He fell on his arm and broke it, it's possible he was reaching for a gun on his back." She gestured, "I wouldn't touch them just yet, Detective. The chalk outlines-"

"Done!" The squint intern stood and smiled at the Detective. "It's a pleasure to see you." Beckett had no idea who she was, but maybe... she asked for an autograph? _Oh, that was cheesy. _

"Yeah, wish it were better circumstances." She rolled Mahoney's body and felt for the gun. A .38, one of theirs, scuffed up a little. Pulling it out, she handed it to the Ballistics detective.

"Wasn't fired," The mousy man said.

"Who shot then?"

Esposito moved off to one side when the detective brushed past him.

"Uh, looks to have been pretty close, point blank." He took another step to the left. "I would say _here_."

"And it looks like they knew him, set up a meet." She bent down next to Suarez. Dirty clothes, _was he really a dealer?_ "Esposito, what else do we have? A ghost who was around the corner?" He shook his head.

"Ghost was rousing suspicion, he had to step off. The team was notified, narcotics couldn't get in though, Midnights had found him."

"So, he should have a Kel?"

"Wire was ripped off him by Narcotics." Esposito showed his distaste with a moment of silence.

"Hah, Narcotics treat you that bad?" He said nothing.

Perlmutter was now instructing the squint and someone else in loading up the bodies, yelling intermittently at bumbling behavior.

"Speaking of ghosts, where's yours?"

"Oh, I wish he was, he's more like a shadow." She shrugged, "I couldn't get him. Where's Narcotics now?"

"Apparently they was a 'kerfuffle' with SNEU one block down."

Beckett scrunched her brow.

"Ryan is off."

"Yeah, the day we need our Narcotics guy." She said and tossed the coffee into the dumpster.

"Your lucky that was cleared." He said, daring a smile. She smacked him lightly.

"Find me Narcotics, would ya?" She stepped over to the Midnights still lingering off to one side, and watched with them as a couple cars and the hearse cleared out. Crime scene tape was still up, and following them out, she saw Castle's tell-tale silhouette negotiate with one of the Midnight's standing guard. Some woman Beckett remembered from a stint in Internal Affairs. Castle's flirting would not work, and he eventually offered her his coffee, which she took but still without budging. Beckett had to come over to let him through anyway.

"Oh, thank goodness. You see, here comes the Detective herself, to tell you that I've not been lying." He smiled openly, "Thanks, Kate."

"Officer Gillans, he's cleared."

With a salute she turned to lift the tape but her hand shot up to her brow again.

"Inspector Mosley!"

"Sloppy, Gillans." He brushed passed and smiled at Beckett.

"Lovely to see you, Buster." With a casual kiss on the cheek, Beckett could tangibly feel Castle bristling.

"You're leading?"

"I hope so, otherwise I'd be back in bed." He stepped back and became a little stern, "You look terrible."

"Rocky, this is Rick Castle." They shook hands, and as Rocky passed no comment, she smiled. "Castle, Inspector Mosley was my sergeant in Internal Affairs." Her admiration for the man had not diminished in the recent years, and she recounted fondly: "I followed him through three different posts."

"She's lucky they let her." He put around her shoulder and she beamed, while Castle stiffened. Rocky laughed. "Truth is, I'm only here to oversee the co-op, bosses think somebody will misbehave, just because there is some bad beef."

"Rocky, I just sent out my detective to find the Narcotics. Apparently they ran off to deal with SNEU down the block. Somebody needs to grow up or grow a pair."

Rocky pulled out his phone, as it rung he asked.

"You got Ice?"

"Yeah, he's working on this with me and Baby."

"How are they?"

"Baby's getting married."

Rocky held up a hand and turned away, listening with intent.

"Yeah, the crime scene can wait for you." He snapped the phone shut, "Thanks to my boss, I just got some boys fresh from training."

When they started walking to the crime scene, Castle slipped under the tape and was eyed warily by Gillans.

"Castle, you coming?" Beckett called back, happy to be back in stride with Rocky. Nostalgia at it's most pungant, when he called her Buster and with the only a few words she got out the info he wanted. He listened to her repeat the facts, walked the scene with her, and from a small distance Castle watched with his writer's eye. Beckett was sure it was poetry, it felt like something damn-near perfect.

Without turned to him, Rocky asked: "Your name Castle?"

Chipper was the affirmative reply. Beckett stared a moment. It was 4am, _how the hell?_

"We'll have something for you yet." He stooped over the chalk outlines, "Who's Baby marrying?"

"You remember Jenny?"

"Yeah, friend of O'Donnell in the ER?" She nodded, and Castle launched over the chalk outlines toward him.

"Ryan is Baby, Esposito is Ice?"

"You're sharp, huh?" Rocky asked.

Beckett shot him a sympathy glance, "It is early, Rocky."

"Yeah, and he's got some pretty smart clothes on." Rocky turned square toward Castle and gave him an unsettling once-over. "Looks real fine, and matching socks." He glanced towards Beckett's own feet. She laughed but Castle was clearly uncomfortable, and Beckett was afraid that he might leave.

"Look, Castle is a consultant and shadows some of my more interesting cases."

"And you've got _Baby_ doing the scut work?"

Beckett shrugged, and crossed her arms, "He's also something of a friend."

Rocky made a very significant face, and asked: "How'd you manage that?"

"He put a very nice coffee machine in the lounge." She smiled at him, "Would you like to be introduced to the crime scene?"

He nodded, and handed her the second coffee he brought. _I'll be damned,_ the coffee was home made, she took it gladly.

Rocky gave Castle one last look of mild displeasure and pointed at the two chalk outlines, running through it all with some added details he and Beckett had worked out, their conclusion being that the perp ran through Narcotics' line of sight.

"So, we're just waiting on the team." She spun slowly to the alley's entrance and bit her lip. Castle and Rocky smiled to themselves, Castle narrowed his eyes and Rocky broke into a grin when their eyes met. Rocky's wink was close to malicious.

"I can just bring you the info to the precinct, you should go back already."

Beckett found Castle a little too eager to get out of the alley and into her car.


End file.
